10 Heart Health Myths Busted

Want a healthier heart? Start by getting rid of these common heart health myths.

Some of the advice given on heart health is about as factual as the tooth fairy. Problem is these fictions don’t just give you peace of mind – they make you sick, they harm your heart and they can even lead to death. Don’t let these heart health myths get the best of you.

Myth # 1 – Only old people get heart disease.

Fact: Heart disease can impact anyone at any age.

While it’s true most cardiovascular diseases are diagnosed in people above age 45, let me assure you – the heart damage started well before age 45.

You see, diet and lifestyle choices cause heart disease. Over my years as a board-certified cardiologist, I’ve seen first-hand many in their 20s having heart attacks.

Harvard Medical School estimates that 10% of all heart attacks occur in people under age 45, and I predict that number will only rise.

How do I know that? Because obesity is on the rise in young people. They are more sedentary than previous generations. More have diabetes than ever before. All of the heart disease risk factors, except smoking, are rising in young people. That will most certainly lead to more heart disease.

Heart disease can happen to anyone at any age.

Myth # 2 – Avoid saturated fat for a healthy heart.

Fact: The widely held belief that saturated fats lead to coronary artery disease is just plain wrong.

Healthline has an excellent article on the subject. In it, they share the history behind this myth. They also cite more than 100 studies that show there is no link between saturated fats and heart disease. The article cites studies that clearly establish a benefit to heart health by consuming saturated fats.

Studies cited by the British Journal of Sports Medicine show no link between saturated fat and heart disease.

Our ancestors ate saturated fats for centuries without heart disease. Nature intended for you to have saturated fats – breast milk is full of saturated fat. Studies also show that the saturated fat from breast milk is vital to academic success.

So, if science clearly supports that saturated fats don’t cause heart disease, then why is this still a myth? Simply because there is too much money involved in keeping you sick. Big Pharma gets to sell pills when people are sick. Hospitals get patients. Companies get to sell insurance. Food producers lower production costs and improve profit margins, as vegetable oils cost less than good oils like olive and coconut oil.

Do your own research. You’ll find that saturated fats are good for your heart.

Myth # 3 – Surgery “fixes” your heart.

Fact: Surgery simply repairs a problem. It does not cure the cause of the problem.

Let me give you an example.

When I did heart surgeries I, like other surgeons, performed coronary artery bypass surgery. This procedure involved bypassing blocked arteries by using other arteries to restore proper circulation.

It’s like taking a detour to get to your destination.

The coronary artery bypass procedure restored circulation. However, it did not fix the problem that caused the blockage in the first place.

Nothing is cured. Your heart is not fixed. A problem has been repaired.

There is a distinct difference.

Do you see that in my example?

And let’s take another common heart surgery. Stent implants to open blocked arteries. A stent is implanted in the artery to open blockages caused by plaque buildup. It opens the artery, but it does not fix the cause of the plaque buildup.

Don’t be fooled. Heart surgery may repair problems, but it never addresses the cause of those problems. That’s why people who have heart surgeries continue to suffer from heart disease and remain on Big Pharma medications.

Myth # 4 – You can eat what you want if you take your heart medication.

Fact: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – heart medications, or medications to treat high risk diseases that lead to heart disease, are not cures for the problem. Medications simply regulate symptoms.

Take diabetes. Medications may help blood sugar levels, but you are still at an increased risk for cardiovascular disease. Diabetes medications don’t address any of the causes of diabetes: obesity, physical inactivity, high blood pressure, smoking.

Here’s a tip – if your physician only prescribes pills and does not address the foods you eat – you are being treated by the wrong doctor. You must control what you eat to control your health.

We recommend you eat a Paleo diet. Organic Paleo foods only. Find out why.

Myth # 5 – Heart disease can’t be reversed.

Fact: Heart disease can be reversed. So can the risk factors for heart disease.

We recently published on our blog two studies showing how regular exercise can reverse heart disease.

The first study showing how lifestyle changes alone can reverse heart disease was led by Dean Ornish, M.D. and was published in the July 21, 1990 edition of The Lancet. Since then numerous studies confirm that heart disease can indeed be reversed without prescription medications or invasive procedures.

Finally, I’ve seen it with my own eyes. Time after time after time. Eat the right foods. Follow a healthy lifestyle. You don’t have to live with heart disease. It can be reversed.

Myth # 6 – Heart disease only happens to men.

Fact: Heart disease is six times more deadly to women than breast cancer, according to figures cited by the Harvard Medical School.

The Center for Disease Control says heart disease is the leading cause of death in women. And the Women’s Heart Foundation says 435,000 American women have heart attacks annually.

The evidence is clear – heart disease happens to women more than any other disease. Look at my patient waiting area to see for yourself!

Myth # 7 – There are no natural cures for heart disease.

Fact: If you read my answer to myth # 5, you already know that scientific evidence shows there are natural cures for heart disease without prescription medications or invasive procedures.

I know there are natural cures for heart disease. I see it in my patients every day.

Scientific evidence shows that heart disease is caused by poor nutrition, toxins, lack of activity, stress, lack of sleep, obesity, poor hydration and other natural factors.

It stands to reason that correcting these natural issues results in better heart health. When you remove the cause of the problem, you are well on your way to problem resolution.

Myth # 8 – Vitamins and supplements don’t lower your risk of heart disease.

Fact: Science has established that proper amounts of vitamins and minerals are necessary for good heart health.

Nature intended us to get all our necessary vitamins and minerals from food. While that is good in theory, practical practice suggests food alone is not enough.

Nature did not plan for mankind to deplete the soil, pollute the air and poison their bodies to the extent it has happened. It is nearly impossible to get proper nutrition today without nutritional supplements.

The Standard American diet full of artificial “foods” that do little to nothing to nourish the body or mind. Soda, chips, hot dogs and thousands of other “foods” are culprits.

Good food is harvested too early and sits in trucks and on shelves for so long that it loses its nutritional value. And man has modified foods in ways that bear little resemblance to the nutritional makeup that nature intended.

Modern production methods deplete water of vital nutrients. Pesticide treated vegetables are lower in nutrients. It is clear to me that good nutritional supplements are necessary to lower your risk of heart disease.

Myth # 9 – A cardiologist is the best specialist to PREVENT heart disease.

Fact: Cardiologists do not prevent heart disease. They simply treat it. Notice I said “treat”, not “cure” and not “prevent.”

I have an extensive background as a cardiologist. Cardiologists receive training on how to diagnose heart disease, and how to prescribe medications and surgical procedures in an attempt to control it.

Again, notice that cardiologists do not receive training about how to “prevent” or “reverse” or even “cure” heart disease.

The physician most trained in disease prevention is the Doctor of Chiropractic (DC). I recommend everyone use a chiropractor as their primary care physician.

I know that statement is a little controversial, even though most major insurance companies are O.K. with the DC as the primary care physician.

Licensing and training keep chiropractors away from prescription pads and surgeries. This means a chiropractor approaches disease treatment with adjustments, lifestyle changes and nutrition. The DC approaches healthcare from the lens of prevention, naturally without pills or procedures. That’s why I recommend the Doctor of Chiropractic as the primary health care provider.

Myth # 10 – Diabetes medications prevent diabetes from causing heart disease.

Fact: The idea that you can take a magical pill to right all the wrongs causing heart disease is a myth that kills thousands.

Here’s one big reason why: people take the pill without ever changing their diet or behavior. Yet it was their diet and behavior that created the diabetes in the first place!

There is no doubt that diabetes is a risk factor for heart disease. There is also no doubt that diabetes medications don’t cure the causes of diabetes.

Since the causes of the problem remain after the Big Pharma medications, the logical result is that diabetes still poses a risk and contributes to heart disease.

Diabetes medications help regulate blood glucose levels. However, even the American Heart Association, which is nothing but a lobbying firm for Big Pharma interests, says that although blood glucose levels may be under control, people with diabetes are at significantly greater risk for heart disease and stroke.

Until you cure the underlying causes of diabetes, you are at risk of heart disease.

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